The Village Square: June 15, 2017

An early Happy Father’s Day to all of the fathers, stepfathers, and father figures out there. Thank you for being you.

Cities of Splendor
The upcoming Splendor expansion, Cities of Splendor, was previewed on the Asmodee website. “With four expansions in a single box, Cities of Splendor offers you four thrilling new ways to experience the game, opening the door to new levels of replayability without sacrificing any of the original game’s unique elegance.”Source: https://www.asmodee.us/en/news/2017/6/12/cities-of-splendor/

Chic No More
Geek Chic has closed its doors, according to cardboardrepublic.com. “After a week of rumors online surrounding the fate of high-end gaming furniture company Geek Chic, company founder Robert Gifford has updated the official website confirming that Geek Chic has ‘ceased operation.'”Source: http://www.cardboardrepublic.com/news/geek-chic-is-no-more

Return to Whitechapel
Fantasy Flight Games is publishing Whitehall Mystery, the newest addition to the Letters from Whitechapel series, in the third quarter of this year. “The hunt for history’s most notorious serial killer continues in this streamlined standalone adventure that explores one of London’s most intriguing unsolved cases.”Source: https://drafts.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2017/6/9/va102-whitehall-mystery/

Spynet
According to Dice Tower News, Z-Man Games will be publishing Spynet by Richard Garfield. “As a spymaster your task is to dominate the espionage trade by recruiting undercover intelligence agents to complete missions. Two to four players can either work alone or with teammates to gather all the necessary information required to recruit agents and disrupt the plans of their opponents in this card drafting game.”Source: http://www.dicetowernews.com/z-man-games-to-release-spynet-by-richard-garfield/45452

What Makes 10 Great Games Great
I liked this article on the Mechanics & Meeples blog about games that warrant multiple replays, from Dominion to Galaxy Trucker. “Lost Cities has absolutely agonizing decisions. You’re always being forced to play cards even though they’re not optimal, even though they’re sometimes very far from optimal. And if you don’t play the cards, you make them available to your opponent instead, which can be just as awful.”Source: http://www.mechanics-and-meeples.com/2017/06/12/what-makes-10-great-games-great/